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NBA Draft: The enigma Trae Young – deciphering guard’s superstar potential

By Tamberlyn Richardson

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: Trae Young #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives to the basket against Fatts Russell #2 of the Rhode Island Rams in the second half during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at PPG Paints Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: Trae Young #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives to the basket against Fatts Russell #2 of the Rhode Island Rams in the second half during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at PPG Paints Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /
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NBA Draft Trae Young
CHICAGO, IL – MAY 15: NBA Draft Prospect, Trae Young poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Combine circuit on May 15, 2018 at the Intercontinental Hotel Magnificent Mile in Chicago, Illinois.  (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Trae Young remains the enigma of the NBA Draft in terms of whether he’ll be the league’s next superstar or if his size will limit his pro capacity.

Arguably the NBA Draft prospect best known by OKC Thunder fans is Trae Young who is a native of Norman Oklahoma and played his college ball at Oklahoma University.

Young lit up the NCAA to start the season drawing comparison’s to Stephen Curry. The Sooner’s point guard was hitting shots from well beyond the arc. And, he wasn’t discerning utilizing pull ups, off the dribble cross overs with catch and shoot opportunities all with equal aplomb.

This outburst caused a flurry of excitement over his potential. Young cooled off in the later stages of the College season and this caused analysts and fans alike to revisit the Curry comparison. Perhaps the funniest is Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer who says depending on your take of Young he projects to be either Steph or Seth Curry. Obviously that’s a big disparity.

Similarly, the draft boards have him listed as high as sixth and as low as ninth. Regardless of his ceiling, no one is willing to not bet on the youngster translating his game at the pro level. Hence he’ll likely hear his name called in the top eight picks of the lottery round.

Specifics:

Height: 6’2″

Weight:  180lbs

Wingspan: 6’3″

Position: Point Guard

Age:  19 years, 7 months

College: Oklahoma, Freshman

Home Town: Norman, Oklahoma

Stat-line (per game):

Per Game Table
Season GS MP FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK PTS
2017-18 32 35.4 .422 3.7 10.3 .360 7.4 8.6 .861 3.9 8.7 1.7 0.3 27.4
Career 32 35.4 .422 3.7 10.3 .360 7.4 8.6 .861 3.9 8.7 1.7 0.3 27.4

Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 6/6/2018.

Next up, TI dives into the specifics of Young’s game with a look at areas he excels and where he  needs to focus on improving.

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